God Speaks Series

Christianity – A Superior way of Living – God Speaks to Us

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Hebrews intro

There are times when living the Christian life is hard.

Some people may lose friends when they become a Christian because they may not do the same things as they used to.

Some people who are brought up in a

different faith system or a

particular denomination

and then turn toward biblical Christianity may have it

affect family relationships as well.

With the spiritual realm being real, Christians will face more attacks than others when we are trying to do the right thing or take action to further the gospel.

There are times when it will seem too hard to continue on following a God we have not been able to see with our eyes and which has become a hindrance to relationships that you have had with people who do not believe in Jesus as Lord.

Well, you are not alone and what you are experiencing is not new. It has been going on since the first century when people first began following Christ.

Today, we are beginning a series in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews? How is that applicable to me, I am not Jewish?

Well, there are plenty of applications of this book to our own circumstance today.

There were those in the past that had begun to see the truth of Christianity and were following Christ. Some had truly believed while others the Spirit was continuing to draw, much like any church today.

When following Christ became hard however, there were those who were looking to go back to their former way of life, which for the recipient of this letter was Judaism. For those today, it may be going back to secular humanism, Going back to a religion of ritual where you feel that you are doing things to control God, or living just however a person wants.

But the author of Hebrews through this letter

Expose the fallacy of that thinking and

look to encourage and

warn them of the results if they take that action

to go back to their former way of life.

He tells us how Christianity is superior in every way and in fact is a superior way of life.

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Superior to Judaism yes, but superior to everything else in life as well.

How is that you may ask?

Well that is what the author expounds on for the rest of his letter, how Christianity and Christ are superior in every way.

So let’s turn to Hebrews 1

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and begin reading

Hebrews 1:1-2a

1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,

We are going to end right there and take a look at how the author is showing the superiority of the how God speaks to us.

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The first way it is superior to Judaism is that

In the past, God spoke in part

Now, God has spoken completely

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Hebrews 1:1-2a

The phrase “at many times” can also be translated “in many portions”

God did not give complete revelation to one person at one time

He spoke in portions to many different people in the past

He gave partial revelation to one prophet, and to another he gave a different part.

Many times the prophets themselves, when they were speaking did not completely understand the fullness of what God was saying.

For instance, in terms of the salvation that would come through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:10-12

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

God spoke about a fulfillment that was to come, but that they would not see. They did not completely understand all of it because they were only given some of the promises and did not completely understand the fulfillment of those promises.

Even the author of Hebrews talks about this when he is talking about the men of faith who suffered so greatly in Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:13

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.